Author's Note: Yes, I know this is really late. A lot has been going on and I'm not sure how frequent and consistent my updates will be over the next few weeks. I'm super sorry! I'm trying my best though.
Chapter 5
Eleven's POV:
I eat lunch with Max, Mike, and the rest of their friends. Although I think their names are Lucas, Dustin and Will, I can't be a hundred percent sure because everybody was yelling too much when Mike introduced them to me. Besides, I'm usually bad with names anyway.
Everybody is generally nice to me, although Lucas seems a bit fed up with me. Whenever I talk to Max quietly, he rolls his eyes and says something about me having secrets. Of course I have secrets, but he doesn't need to know that. The only person who knows about my past is Hopper (and the bad men if you count them), and although I know that Lucas is only trying to annoy me, it still makes me nervous.
I sit quietly next to Max and across from Mike. For the most part, I observe the conversation rather than participating. Sometimes someone asks me a question which I will either answer truthfully, lie about, or direct the conversation elsewhere so I don't have to answer at all.
Constantly, I turn new words over in my mouth. Hopper tends to use easier vocabulary with me, but these kids say a lot of things that I don't understand. Words like "presumptuous", which I am too afraid to ask about, but store away to look up in my dictionary later.
"Max said you've moved to this school because your dad's working out of the city for a while. Does that mean you won't stay the whole year?" Mike asks me. It takes me a second to digest his question, his eyes locked gently on mine as he waits for a reply.
"I'm not sure. I guess it depends on how the job goes. They might offer him a permanent position." The thought of that makes a panic rise up in my chest. I don't exactly know what this new job is, but I'm pretty sure it is only temporary. Hopper wouldn't accept an offer anyway, right? He wouldn't feel comfortable having me so far away for so long, and he loves his job. He's the chief of police in Hawkins.
"Well, I hope you don't leave," Max cuts in, smiling at me. "You're fun, and it's nice to have a friend who isn't one of these boys." She says the last word with disgust in her voice, but she's laughing as she gestures to the rest of the table. Sarcasm? It's something that Hopper uses a lot, when he says something seriously, but means it as a joke. I don't think Max is mean, so I think she must be using sarcasm too.
After lunch, we decide to go off-campus to the arcade nearby. The school rules say that you can leave the schoolgrounds on the weekends, or with a leave pass from the office as long as you don't have a class you need to be in. It's Sunday, so the six of us troop out of the school towards freedom.
I've never been to an arcade before, but everybody else has. The arcade looks relatively unassuming on the outside, just a big purple sign on the roof reading "Palace" and matching purple walls. But as we approach, you can look through the windows to see other neon signs- a lightning bolt and a hot dog- and orange lights filling the ceiling. Inside, there are the same arcade game machines that I've seen on TV lining the walls and filling the room. Almost immediately, the group flocks to one or two of the nearest games.
"These are the fan favourites," Max says, hanging back from the stampeded of over-eager boys.
"Fan favourites?" I ask, not understanding the phrase and feeling comfortable enough to ask now that we are close to alone.
"It means they are our favourites- the ones we like best," Max clarifies. She seems a bit confused that I don't understand what she meant, but I'm grateful that she doesn't comment on it and instead drags me towards a game with a bright orange sign declaring the game to be 'Pac Man'.
"This is probably the easiest game here," she admits, touching my shoulders to direct me to face the machine. I try not to tense up, reminding myself that she's a friend. The game is hard to understand at first, especially because the boys quickly crowd around me, shouting different directions in my ears. I'm very tempted to shut their mouths using my powers, but I know that would be silly.
Mike seems to catch on that they aren't being any help, so he tells everyone to go away until I figure it out myself. Everyone, except himself. Max refuses at first, but then she wants to do something with Lucas so she apologises before leaving. She assures me that she'll be back soon.
"So you see the yellow circle?" Mike stands to my left and talks gently. "That's you. The ghosts will hurt you, but not if you can eat them first. You have to collect these," he points to dots scattered across the screen, "and then you will be immune to them."
"Immune?"
"It means… like you have a protection against them. Okay?" I nod, moving the joystick in front of me carefully and deliberately. I still die a couple of times, but eventually I win the first round. Mike goes to high five me, something I've only every seen other people do, and although I hesitate for a second, I return the gesture. I feel warm inside, even more so when the rest of the group returns and celebrates my success.
Is this what it feels like to have friends? I sure have been missing out.
After my success, we race around the room and I try out all of the best games. Dustin even helps me to win one of his favourite games, and Lucas doesn't say anything condescending for the rest of the afternoon. Him and Max compete to beat each other's high scores on a game that looks far too complicated for me. I see Max laughing out of the corner of my eye, her bright red hair blowing in front of her face when she spins around to look at Lucas. Gently, he brushes the hair behind her ear and she seems to go still. She's still smiling though. I look away quickly, suddenly feeling awkward and hoping no one noticed me.
Eventually, the sun starts to set and the group gravitates towards each other.
"It's probably time to leave," Mike says, looking out the window at the purple sky. I feel something sink in my chest. In it's place, a restless panic rises up. I try to supress it, watching the rest of the group as they nod in agreement.
"Don't worry," Mike says, and I realise he's only talking to me, "We can come back later, even tomorrow if you like." I nod absentmindedly but I don't feel very reassured. What if school tomorrow is absolutely terrible? I was feeling alright today, good even, but that could all change if I end up hating school anyway. Who's to say these people will even stay my friends?
Reluctantly, I follow the rest of the group out of the arcade as we walk back to the school. The sky is a mix of purples, pinks and blues. If you look directly up, it still seems like day, but to the east the sky is a deep blue and stars are beginning to emerge.
"They're pretty, aren't they?" he asks. I know it's Mike by the sound of his voice. I don't have to turn around to check.
"Yeah, they are." I reply, trying not to be sick.
